Cold-Blooded
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: Escaping an abusive engagement Yoh Asakura turns to living in the wild and runs into a Naga named Hao, who reluctantly allows him to live in his territory. Though the Naga seems to abhor the idea of friendship with him, Yoh is certain Hao is not as cold as he seems. Rating will go up later
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story! AU HaoxYoh story, plus bonus tentacle porn, so there are your warnings, proceed at your own risk. Enjoy!

The last straw had been the slap. Of course Anna had been smacking him around for years and he had never retaliated before. But, before now, there was always the knowledge that she would go away again, if he was just a little bit patient. Now though, now he was engaged to be married to her, since the only way he could contribute to his family was to marry into another rich family, to give them more status.

He snarled slightly at the thought, large, cat-like ears flattening against his skull. Then he sighed and ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. What was the use of getting mad about it? Getting mad didn't solve the problem, so there wasn't any point in it.

So Yoh had solved the problem his own way; he'd run away. He was able to hunt and fish and forage for food, so he'd be able to survive in the wild. He'd packed a few things, and then set off into the wilderness. He'd been travelling for about a week now, wanting to put as much distance as possible between him and the people who would be looking for him before possibly settling down.

He knew what kind of place he wanted to settle down in; one of the abandoned ruins of the Original People. The Original People had created his kind, and looked much like him, except they had funny small fleshy ears and no tails that could act as an extra limb. His kind had been created to be slaves, along with the other intelligent beings still left in the world, the Nagas.

Nagas were snake people, with the torso and head of a human and a snake's tail from below their waist. They were solitary creatures, preferring to live wild, and, if the stories were true, would eat a Felid if they could catch one. Yoh didn't think too much of those kinds of stories though.

The stories about the Original People were just as fanciful though, filled with tales of flying machines and buildings that could touch the sky. They had been destroyed though, in a war centuries ago, against the creatures they had created to serve them. All that was left of them were the ruins that dotted the forests, looming like giants over the trees. The Felids avoided them, believing vengeful ghosts made their homes there, which made them a perfect place for Yoh to hide.

Like the one he had just found. It was small, a town by the looks of things, but there were still steel nd concrete constructions looming out of the dark of the forest. He crept through the ruined buildings, tail flicking slightly. He lifted his head, scenting the air. He couldn't smell anyone else here, which was good; the last thing he needed was a crazy hermit already bunking down in this place.

He padded quietly through the ruins, searching. Finally he found what he was looking for. In the middle of a space that looked like it might have been once a greenhouse stood a very large purple and green plant. It was taller than the average Felid male, and currently looked like an unopened bulb. Yoh nodded in satisfaction and padded away, now searching for a good spot to make his home.

On the outskirts of the ruins was a half collapsed concrete building. Three of the sides still stood, while the fourth had fallen over, crumbling. Yoh found that he could squeeze through the rubble and was in a good sized area shaded by a rooftop. It would do for a home.

The next task for him, now that he had an idea of where he wanted to live, was to figure out where he could get water. He dropped his pack in his new home and wriggled back out into the forest. Fortunately there was a lively little creek not far from where he was living. Walking about he could see deeper pools where fish would live.

As he was kneeling down to take a drink he heard an ominous hiss from behind him. He turned quickly, pulling a hunting knife from his belt. The male Naga that had hissed at him glared, his red-striped black tail swishing in agitation behind him.

"You are in my territory." The Naga spat. Yoh blinked rapidly a couple times, his mouth dropping open. The Naga, at least, his human parts, looked scarily like him. He had the same shaped face and eyes, though instead of simply being deep brown, they had a tinge of red to them. His hair was a few shades darker than Yoh's, almost black, and was waist-length.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." He said, deciding to try diplomacy first. He didn't want to have to fight. Nagas were notoriously fast, and Yoh didn't know if this one was poison. "My name is Yoh. I'm just looking for a place to live, I won't be any trouble to you."

"I don't like your kind." The Naga hissed, showing his fangs.

"Oh… okay." Yoh shrugged his shoulders. "If you don't want me here I can move onto somewhere else." The Naga stared at him for a moment, tilting his head curiously.

"You're not going to try and fight me, kill me?" He asked.

"Why would I?" Yoh replied. "This is your space, and it's not as though you're attacking me." The Naga shifted, staring at him for a long moment. "I just need to get the things I left in the ruins-"

"You were going to stay in the ruins?" The Naga interrupted. "I thought your kind avoided those places."

"I'm kind of on the run, so it's the best place for me to hide." The Naga hissed.

"There are others looking for you?" He demanded.

"Yes, but I've been travelling almost nonstop for a week, I doubt they'll think that I went this far. They don't think much of me." Yoh said bitterly. The Naga watched him warily. "I'll get out of your way though, if that's what you want."

"Wait." The Naga said. "You can stay, so long as you stay out of my way." He hissed venomously.

"Oh, thank you!" Yoh said, bowing to the Naga. "I'll do my best not to disturb you. I will probably be putting out snares, but they shouldn't be anywhere that you might get caught in them. Um, can I ask your name?"

"Why?" The Naga asked suspiciously.

"In case I need to talk to you about anything, like I found something in your territory you should know about, that sort of thing." Yoh replied. The Naga was silent for a moment.

"Hao, my name is Hao." He said grudgingly.

"Well, thank you again, Hao." Yoh said, smiling. The Naga just frowned at him and disappeared back into the forest. Yoh breathed a sigh of relief. That could have gone so much worse, and he hadn't even heard Hao approach him. Hao could have just killed him on sight, but he had allowed him a chance to get out. He'd always known Nagas couldn't be the monsters the stories always said they were.

%&%&%&%

Hao felt disgusted with himself. He should have killed the cat on sight, nothing good ever came from them after all. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before, and the cat had even admitted that he was alone, so why hadn't he done it?

The cat had compelled him, for some odd reason. And then when they had spoken the cat had been polite, respectful even. He hadn't even protested when Hao had told him he needed to leave! Any other cat would have tried to kill Hao, but this one had listened to him, and was prepared to go.

Hao grumbled to himself as he slithered into his cave home. He was going soft, that was the only explanation, or he had gone too long without seeing another intelligent being that he was willing to put up with anyone. Whatever it was it was making him want to tie himself up in knots.

He decided he needed some relaxing time and headed to the back of the caves, where a natural hot spring bubbled. He slid into it, sighing as the warm water surrounded him. Unlike warm-blooded creatures, heat didn't make him sleepy, it made him more energetic, so taking a dip in the hot springs was like a jolt of energy for him.

He pondered the problem of the cat while he soaked. He could always just tell him that he'd changed his mind, and if he argued, he could just kill him. Or, he could figure out where the cat was sleeping and finish him off then and there. Or he could go out now and just kill him immediately.

He then shook his head. A body meant a mess to deal with, and driving the cat away meant that maybe others would find his home and he would have to move. No, for now it seemed wiser just to let the cat stay. If he made a wrong move though, Hao would show no mercy.

He wondered idly why the cat had run away. It really didn't interest him, but it was better than thinking of nothing. The cat had seemed so bitter about it all. Not that Hao cared though, although, he knew something about feeling betrayed by the world. He snorted and ducked his head under water; he was not going to be thinking about that again.

He pulled himself out of the hot springs, his skin and scales steaming faintly. He had been surprised by how much the cat had looked like him, but put it down to similar genetics in their past, having their ancestors created by the Original People. If nothing else, it might prove interesting to have a cat wandering around the woods, especially if it ran afoul of some of the more… interesting plants in the ruins.


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh thought that having a Naga around would probably be a good thing. Most of his people didn't like them, and avoided them at all costs. Sometimes they caught Nagas and… Yoh shuddered thinking about it. He'd been dragged to a cage match once, by Anna, and the things he'd seen still gave him nightmares. No creature deserved that sort of treatment.

He shook those thoughts out of his head and turned to more pressing matters. Winter was not for some months yet, but he would need to prepare now. The stone walls and floors would have to be insulated by something, or they would be freezing. He could make some form of oven for himself, so long as he could find clay that could be molded.

He'd need hides and furs to make clothes, once his own clothes became too thin for him to wear. He needed to set traps and snares for food, and make fishing lures and nets. There was so much for him to do and so little time to do it. He decided that setting up the ability to catch food was most important at the moment.

He had several lengths of cord in his pack, that he'd pilfered before he'd left. He hoped that Amidamaru, their game keeper, would forgive him in time. After all, Amidamaru had been the one to teach him how to survive in the wild. He missed Amidamaru; he was one of the few who didn't think of him as a freak.

He made his snares and then went out to look for places to set them. He found a number of burrows and some spots that were obvious favourites of small animals and set his snares, being sure to bait them properly. On the way back to his home he spotted a meadow, and a herd of deer grazing in it. Well, that took care of some food problems, and some of his clothing problems as well. He'd have to make a bow though.

He had strings for the bow, until he could make some of his own, but he'd have to carve the bow himself. He set to work immediately, finding a young ash tree and chopping it down with the small axe he had. Using his carving knife he whittled away at the wood, creating for himself a bow that fit his hand perfectly. He made arrows out of the rest of the tree, attaching pieces of flint from the river to them to create the arrowhead and fallen feathers he'd collected as he'd journeyed to the other end.

When he was done he strung his new bow and tested the spring of it. Satisfied he took one of his arrows and fired it at a knot in one of the trees. He missed by a small margin, but nodded, satisfied that once he got the hang of his bow he'd do well with it.

It was getting late in the day, but Yoh decided to see if the herd was still around, and if he could take one of the deer down. He was fortunate enough to find that the herd hadn't quite moved on yet, but looked like it was on the move. Yoh scanned the creatures, looking for one that would be easier to take down, and noticed an old buck limping badly towards the back of the herd.

He drew his bow, preparing to take out the wounded beast, when something came darting out of the forest. Hao the Naga moved across the meadow with a speed Yoh didn't think possible. In a moment Hao had caught up to the struggling buck and had wrapped his coils around the frantic creature. Hao tightened his coils, squeezing the buck even as it fought and bleated.

"Okay, he's a constrictor then." Yoh murmured to himself. Hao wasn't using his fangs either, which probably meant he had no venom. After a few long moments the buck went still and Hao unwound himself from it. Yoh sighed in disappointment; Hao's attack had scared off the rest of the herd. No deer meat for him today. He wondered if Hao used the pelt at all. Ah well, couldn't hurt to ask.

"Hey there!" He called, stepping out into the meadow. Hao halted, eying him warily with his prize slung over his shoulder. Yoh noted that he wore a belt with some kind of pouch on it slung low on where his hips would be if he was like Yoh.

"What do you want?" Hao hissed. He probably thought that Yoh wanted his food.

"I was just wondering if you were going to use the hide of that deer at all." Yoh replied politely.

"Yessss." Hao hissed, glaring at him.

"Okay then, I won't bother you about it." Yoh said with a shrug. "Sorry to waste your time. Have a good night!" He then walked off, leaving Hao looking a little perplexed.

"He expects me to try and take things from him." He said to himself as he walked back to his house. "Wonder how many have tried in the past? Probably a lot by the way he watches me like I'm going to stab him at any moment."

He got to his home just as it was starting to get dark. He made himself a fire in his home and ate one of the ration bars he'd been saving. "He doesn't seem all that interested in being friends, but I hope we can at least act friendly towards each other, otherwise I don't know if this is going to work out." Yoh sighed. "Maybe he's got a mate and eggs that he's protecting." He mused. "Do Naga lay eggs? They're part snake but they're also part mammal, like me, so I don't know. I'm rambling now though, so I think I should stop and go to sleep."

%&%&%&%

Yoh woke up and yawned, stretching cramped muscles. He'd have to make himself a comfier bed to sleep if he was going to stay in this place. Even a bed of straw would work fine. He'd sort that out as he came to it though. Right now he needed to relieve himself and get a drink of water, and maybe a bath.

He wandered out of his home and after relieving himself against a tree, headed down to the river. He halted when he got down to where he'd been the other day. There, lying on a large rock, was a deer hide, all wrapped up with the antlers sticking out of it. Yoh laughed incredulously, the sound oddly loud in the otherwise quiet morning.

He shook his head and went down to the creek, pausing momentarily to pat the hide. It, along with a wooden frame, would make an ideal bed for him. "Thank you!" He called, feeling slightly foolish. It was more than likely that Hao was already gone, but it didn't hurt to show some gratitude, in case he wasn't.

He took a drink from the cool stream and then stripped off his clothes and stepped into the water. He shivered a little at first, but then relaxed, dunking himself under the water. He resurfaced and scrubbed at his hair, which was getting matted, finger-combing the tangles out of it. When he thought he was clean enough he lay down on a nice flat rock by the river to dry off, taking a light nap in the process.

When he felt ready to get up again he took the hide and antlers back to his home and stowed them there for the moment. He'd have to tan the hide of course, to make it softer and easier to use, but now he needed to figure out what his new home had to offer him in the way of survival. He had a river, and a herd of deer, he also had snares to check, and at least one patch of berries that he had found yesterday.

He checked his snares, finding two rabbits and a pine marten. He killed them quickly and brought them back to his house to be taken care of later. He then took to wandering about the area, seeing what he could find. He was lucky enough to find a landslide scar along the bank of the creek, which had a rich deposit of clay at and below the surface.

One of the methods to insulating a place if you were in the wild was to use clay-coated straw. He could do that to the walls, and the floor if need be, but packed dirt on the floor would work as well. His wanderings also took him to a peat bog. The peat he could use to seal any holes in the rubble that made up the fourth wall of his home, and then he could create some form of door, out of wood or skins, to keep the cold out.

He continued his wanderings until he came to what looked like the opening to a cave. Interested he moved to inspect it, but a loud, angry hiss made him back up rapidly. Hao came darting out of the forest at Yoh, eyes wild.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Yoh said, putting up his hands. "I wasn't going to do anything!" He protested. Hao halted, breathing heavily.

"You ssshhhould have ssstayed away from my home!" The Naga declared.

"Now how was I supposed to do that if I didn't know where it was?" Yoh replied, hands on his hips. Hao opened and closed his mouth and then scowled.

"Just ssstay away." He growled.

"Alright, I won't come around here again." Yoh promised, backing away. "Oh, thanks for the hide and the antlers."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hao snorted. "Go away, and don't come back, or I will kill you."

"Alright." Yoh said, bemused. He turned and walked away, wondering if that would surprise the Naga, that he was willing to turn his back on him and risk being attacked from behind. He thought about the wild look that had been in Hao's eyes for that moment. He almost thought that there might have been fear in Hao's eyes. But, why would Hao be afraid of him?


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

Hao lounged on a large flat rock by the river, enjoying the warmth of the sun. It was a bit of a cool day, the summer turning to autumn, and Hao could already hear the smaller animals making their winter preparations. He personally hated the winter. He slept through most of it, but still had to get up to eat. Mostly he dried meats and fruits for that time, but he often needed more and would have to go out into the snow to hunt. He shuddered at the thought.

"Hello." Hao reared up in surprise and hissed at the cat. The cat just smiled benignly at him. "Nice spot to sleep." He commented.

"What are you doing here?" Hao demanded.

"Fishing." The cat replied. "Found a couple of salt deposits following the herd and I can use them to preserve some of my food." He added cheerfully.

"I am not interesssted in your day-to-day life, cat." Hao snapped.

"Yoh." The cat said patiently. "My name is Yoh. I don't call you snake, so please, can you show me the same courtesy?"

Hao grumbled and coiled himself up again on the rock, trying to ignore the annoying cat. He heard the cat shuffling around for a moment and then the thud of a body hitting the ground. He looked up and found the cat sitting on the edge of the water, pole between his legs, with a large piece of fur in his hand. He appeared to be poking holes in it.

"What are you doing?" He asked and then cursed his own curiosity.

"I'm going to sew together a bunch of the smaller furs to make a blanket." The cat replied, sounding distracted. "I'll use deer hide as clothes, with an inner coat of smaller furs sewed together for the winter. Are the winters bad here?"

"What do you mean?" Hao demanded.

"Are there lots of snowstorms, stuff like that?" The cat clarified.

"I do not know." Hao said dismissively. "I only wake to eat once the snows start to fall."

"And then you go out and hunt?" The cat asked.

"If I mussst." Hao replied.

"That must suck, if you're cold-blooded and all." The cat said.

"I get by." Hao replied tightly. The cat nodded and turned his attention back to his work. He had long, delicate looking fingers, which moved quickly, threading a piece of wetted sinew through the holes he'd made in two furs, stitching them together. He dropped the fur when his pole jumped between his knees and stood, grabbing the pole and pulling. A rather large fish was reeled out of the water.

"Not bad for my first try." The cat said happily. "Will keep me fed for a couple days at least. Do you want me to try catching one for you?"

"I do not need charity!" Hao snapped.

"Relax, relax." The cat said. "I was just being polite."

"I have fed already in daysss past, I do not need more." Hao said stiffly, trying to reign in his temper. No reason to give the cat a reason to want to gut him.

"So you don't need to eat every day?" The cat asked.

"You ask too many quesssstions." Hao grumbled.

"Sorry, it's just that you hear all these stories of Nagas, but they're all horrible, so I don't think anyone actually knows a thing about your kind." The cat explained. "So, I'm just curious, trying to find out what the real story is."

"What kind of horrible ssstories?" Hao asked.

"Well, they say Nagas eat babies." The cat said slowly. Hao reared up again and hissed in anger. "Easy, take it easy, I don't believe it!"

"Of all the inssssulting thingsss to sssay." Hao hissed. "Children are sssacred, we have sssso much trouble bearing them."

"Oh, I didn't know that." The cat said. "I'm sorry." Hao calmed himself down and looked at the cat oddly. "I mean Felids do their best to destroy all of you and you have trouble having children, so there must not be many of you left."

"There is enough." Hao said noncommittally. "Why do you care?"

"I don't like seeing people get hurt." The cat shrugged. "I should go check my snares. You haven't had any trouble with them, have you?"

"No." Hao replied shortly.

"Good. See you around Hao." The cat waved and strode off with his newly caught fish. Hao watched him go, wondering at the strangeness of cats.

%&%&%&%

Yoh just didn't get Hao, at all. One minute they seemed to be having a nice conversation, and the next Hao was going cold, or angry again. He didn't like 'cats' very much, Yoh remembering the sneer on his face when he'd said it, but why? What had been done to him? He hadn't noticed any scars on Hao, so he couldn't have been caught and used for… entertainment, but maybe someone he was close with was.

It was neat though, being able to actually talk to a Naga and find out the truth about their species. If only Hao was a little friendlier, than maybe he could sit down and learn everything. Oh well, he had other things he needed to take care of at the moment, so he pulled his attention back and gazed at his home thoughtfully.

Some part of him wanted to decorate the outside of it, make it look like a home, but to do that would be to defeat the purpose of him living there. He couldn't let anyone find him. He doubted they'd look very hard though, at least his family. His friends might search for longer, but Amidamaru had taught him how to avoid being tracked, so they would probably give up soon. Once the snows were here, he'd know he was safe; no one would be stupid enough to try and track him through that.

Winter reminded him of the things he needed to get done before the snows came. He headed out to the peat bog and began hacking out pieces of peat and carrying them over to his home. He plugged the cracks and holes in the damaged wall with it and crawled up onto the roof to check for leaks. The good thing about the Original People though was they made things to last.

He wondered what his friends were doing right now; if they were still searching for him, or if they'd given him up already. Horohoro, who worked in the farm, would probably have already been told to go back to work, it was harvesting season after all.

Which reminded Yoh; he should start collecting nuts and fruits and tubers and things for the winter. He'd have to make some things to store them in, never a good idea to leave food just lying about. He could make jars and barrels out of wood, wouldn't be too hard to do that.

He wondered as he worked if Hao shed his skin often. He had so many questions he wanted to ask the Naga, but he didn't want to be rude; especially since Hao already wasn't all too pleased about sharing his territory. Were all Nagas so suspicious of Felids? He didn't blame them if they were, his kind had been trying to get rid of the Nagas for generations. He had no idea why though.

He sat back on the roof and looked up at the sky. The stars were starting to come out. He'd always enjoyed the stars and here he could see even more of them than back in the city, where all the fires and lamplights blotted out the stars. He completely lay back, stretching his legs out and yawning.

Did Nagas have stories for the stars? Oh, he had far too many questions, and only a very grumpy and reluctant Naga had the answers for him. Although Hao hadn't seemed quite as annoyed with him today, until he'd gotten to that part about his kind believing Nagas ate babies. Of course, if someone had accused him of eating babies, he would have been offended too.

The moon was beginning to rise. It was almost past first quarter, Yoh realized with a sinking feeling. He had about a week until his… condition made itself known again. He snorted at himself, disgusted with his brooding. He'd made plans, to wait out those couple of days without causing himself pain or embarrassment, and there was no one around to make fun of him this time.

Well, there was Hao, but he doubted the Naga would be anywhere near when It happened. Still, his good mood had vanished, remembering every humiliating time in the past he'd had to deal with his condition and the whispers it had caused. He growled softly to himself and vowed that he would be laughed at no more.


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing! Tentacles ahead, you have been warned!

Hao slithered through the ruins of the Old Masters, near silent among the concrete and the dirt. He had decided that he should know exactly where the cat was staying, just in case. He wasn't going to kill him, not now. The cat had been nothing but polite since he'd gotten to Hao's territory, not two weeks past. He was irritating, with all his questions, but Hao had yet to see any malice in him.

That of course didn't mean there wasn't malice in the cat, which was why he was taking the precaution of knowing exactly where the cat lived. Just in case someday he felt threatened, it was better to kill the cat in a sneak attack than risk him being able to injure Hao in the process of trying to get rid of him. He didn't really like the idea of it though; somehow he seemed to have a soft spot for the cat.

He was ripped from his musings by an enticing aroma. He lifted his head and opened his mouth to taste the air. His tail moved restlessly as the scent of a female in heat washed over him, the smell intoxicating his mind. His penises began to slide from their sheaths and Hao moved towards the scent.

Suddenly he paused, catching the cat's scent intermingling with the female's. He hissed angrily, territorial instincts surging to the forefront of his mind. A female in his territory was his! He would take the female, even if he had to fight the cat.

He paused when he rounded a building, seeing one of the Tentacle plants in the middle of the open space before him. The scent was much stronger now, both the female's and the cat's, but there was something strange about it. Hao was having a hard time thinking coherently about it.

He let out a small hiss when the cat stepped into the open space where the plant was. The heat-scent came with him. Hao shifted uneasily. There was no female with the cat, the smell was coming from the cat. But the cat was male, wasn't he?

He made sure he was hidden and tried to ignore his erections. The cat was stumbling slightly, and Hao could hear his panting breath all the way from his hiding place. The cat began removing his clothing as he moved towards the Tentacle plant. Was he really going to…?

The Tentacle plant was another invention of the Old Masters, of a particularly debauched nature. It was engineered to use sunlight just as any other plant, but had another mechanism for feeding that could be activated at a touch. The Tentacle plant fed on seminal discharge.

It was almost animal-like in its intelligence, but very dim. It knew where to latch on to get its preferred meal, and it also knew how to cause pleasure in order to get the semen to flow. It was a living sex toy, plain and simple. It also wasn't an unpleasant way to relieve some tension, as the plant knew that to cause pain would be to make certain it did not get its treat, and would release its victim as soon as they came.

The cat touched the outside of the plant, now completely naked, and it shuddered to life. The bulb opened to reveal a series of gelatinous tentacles, coated with a slippery goo. Tentacles gripped each of the cat's limbs gently, raising him up off the ground. Hao could see now that the cat was definitely male, sporting a large erection.

One of the tentacles latched onto the erection, sliding it along it's hollow inside. The cat whimpered, a needy sound. Hao knew from experience that the tentacle would be clenching and unclenching around the cat's arousal. The memory made Hao shudder and he reached for his own arousals as another tentacle lifted the cat's tail, exposing his entrance.

A final tentacle slithered its way up to the cat's entrance and slowly, oh so slowly, pushed inside him. The cat arched his back and moaned loudly. The tentacle began to move within him, and the cat devolved into needy whimpers and incoherent pleas for more.

Hao watched, enthralled, his fingers stroking his erections as the cat cried and writhed in the grasp of the Tentacle plant. Heat coiled in his belly as he teased the tips of his penises. When the cat arched back, uttering a loud cry of pleasure Hao shuddered in orgasm, his seed spilling over his hand.

He made to leave, but realized the plant had not released the cat, even though he seemed to have orgasmed. Hao watched as the tentacles continued to pleasure the cat, through another orgasm, and then another, before finally releasing him and withdrawing back inside the bulb.

The cat sprawled where he had been dropped for a few moments, panting loudly. He then picked himself up and gathered up his clothing before staggering off, still completely naked and reeking of heat-scent. Hao stared at the Tentacle plant, puzzled by what had just happened.

%&%&%&%

A few days later he had an opportunity to get his answer. The cat was washing his shirt down at the river. Hao slithered onto the warm flat rock and eyed the cat for a moment. There were a series of scars on his back, straight and nearly parallel, all the same size. He wondered about them, but decided it was none of his business and that he didn't care.

The cat looked up and jumped, startled to see him. "Holy… you don't make any sound when you move, do you?" Hao merely smirked at the cat. "Nice to see you too." The cat added drily.

"I sssaw you the other day." Hao began in a conversational tone. The cat stiffened, but continued to wash his shirt.

"Really?" He said, obviously trying to sound calm. "You should have come and said hello."

"I doubt you were in any way capable of holding a converssssation at the time." Hao replied with a smirk. The cat's shoulders slumped and he sighed tiredly. Hao waited, but the cat seemed unwilling to say anything. "You had a ssscent about you, like-"

"A bitch in heat." The cat interrupted bitterly.

"Ssssuch a crude word." Hao replied. "But yesssss, and you willingly went to the Tentacle plant."

"You saw that too." The cat said in a small voice. "Wonderful."

"Why do you go into heat, if you are male?" Hao asked. The cat let out a woeful sigh.

"You probably won't leave me alone until I tell you, so may as well." He muttered. "I was born without any sort of testicles, first off."

"No ssssemen." Hao said. "That's why the Tentacle plant didn't let you go at firsssst." He guessed. The cat nodded.

"My family didn't think there was anything else unusual about me until I came to my thirteenth year. I started going into heat like females do, once a month." He said. "The best the doctors can guess is I've got ovaries instead of testicles inside me and that's enough to make me go into heat. So once a month I go mindlessly crazy in need of sex."

"You are bitter about thissss." Hao said.

"Not so much the fact that I go into heat, but how people react to it." The cat said. "My family considers me a disgrace, since I can't carry on the family name and father a child. The way I am gets around and people think of me as less because I'm not totally male or female. They make fun of me, call me names, mock my lack of control when I'm in heat, that sort of thing."

"And sssso you ran away?" Hao asked.

"If it were just that I would have run away years ago." The cat sighed. "No, there's a family that my family has been in negotiations with for years. They're wealthier than we are, so it would be good to have an alliance. They have a daughter my age and my grandfather decided…" The cat's lips curled back from his teeth in a silent snarl. "He decided that since I could not contribute to the family in the _natural_ manner, that I would marry her to join our families together and make mine more wealthy."

"And you objected?" Hao queried.

"Anna is… not kind. She doesn't like it when people don't share her opinion, or don't do what she wants." The cat answered. "If I had married her I would have become her slave, abused and neglected until she had use of me. I decided the only way out was to run away, so I did."

"I ssssee." Hao said. "How did you know the plant would releassssse you?"

"I've done it before." Yoh replied. "When I was fourteen Amidamaru, he works for my family, took me on a hunting trip. We weren't careful about time and I went into heat, too far away from home to get back before I became mindless in my need for sex. Amidamaru was afraid to help me himself, because if it got back to my grandfather, he would have been fired. Grandfather never approved of the friendship I had with Amidamaru." The cat explained. "So Amidamaru found one of the Tentacle plants and we let it take me. Amidamaru would have cut it away from me if it looked like it wasn't going to let me go, but it did, after about half an hour."

"Did you seek out the plant from then on, then?" Hao asked. The cat shook his head.

"No, grandfather almost always hired someone to… take care of me." The cat grimaced. "I hated it. They were not kind, they just fucked me like I was a toy and called me a freak and a whore. One of them was the one who told others about my condition, so now everyone knows. Sometimes my friends would help me out, but they were often busy, and nowadays they are almost all in relationships." He sighed unhappily. "I hate being a freak."

"There are those of my kind who have sssssimilar conditions to yours, but we do not sssshhhhun them." Hao said.

"Yeah." The cat looked hopefully at him. "I'm starting to wonder if Nagas are the more civilized species."

"Of coursssse we are." Hao said dismissively.

"Thanks, Hao." The cat said softly.

"For what?" Hao asked, puzzled.

"For not judging me."


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh hummed as he shaped a bowl out of the clay by the river. He was covered with the sticky earth, but didn't care one bit. His grandfather had always been after him when he got dirty, saying he shamed their family enough without looking like some lowborn urchin. Yoh loved to work with his hands though, and the feel of good clean earth was soothing to him.

"What are you doing?" Yoh had gotten past the point of jumping every time Hao snuck up on him, but it still made him feel like he was going to have a heart attack.

"Making bowls and things." Yoh said, gesturing to the jars and cups he already had drying out in the sun.

"You're making a messsss." Hao observed. "I almost cannot sssssmell you."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Yoh joked. Hao eyed him warily.

"I prefer to know you are there." He said shortly.

"Yeah, I bet that's useful." Yoh said. "I mean I've got a good nose, but nowhere as good as your sense of smell is."

"You cannot ssssmelll me?" Hao asked, tilting his head.

"You don't have a very strong scent, not like my kind, anyways, I wonder why that is." Yoh said.

"We are hunterssss." Hao pointed out haughtily.

"So am I." Yoh replied mildly.

"You use weaponssss to hunt, I hunt sussing my own body." Hao retorted. "Which issss more natural?"

"I suppose you have a point." Yoh admitted. "Although don't you risk getting gored, hunting like that?"

"Doessssn't every predator?" Hao replied. "I am hard to hurt."

"I should hope so, hunting the way you do." Yoh replied. He finished the bowl and set it up on a rock to dry.

"When the winter comesss, what are you going to do about your heat?" Hao suddenly asked. "The Plant will be hibernating."

"I know." Yoh said. "I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that. Barricade myself in my house probably, so I don't go wandering out in the snows looking for some kind of relief, wait it out, I suppose."

"You have never had to do without?" Hao asked.

"No. We tried once, I nearly went insane with need and had a fever for days afterwards." Hao was quiet after that pronouncement. "I'm not going to worry about it until it becomes necessary, I've got other, more pressing matters. Want to go for a swim?"

"I beg your pardon?" Hao asked, staring at him.

"There's a nice pool just upstream to swim in, and I need to get some of this clay off me." Yoh explained. "I was just asking if you wanted to join me."

"I have better thingsss to do with my time than to muck around like an eggling." Hao said scornfully.

"Alright." Yoh said amiably. "I'll see you later then." Hao huffed and slithered off, leaving Yoh alone. Yoh got up and made sure his clay creations weren't going to tumble over before heading upstream to the pool.

He removed his clothes and slipped into the water. It was cool without being too cold, but Yoh knew it wouldn't be long until he would have to stop taking baths like this. "Winter months of sponge baths, that's going to be fun." He muttered to himself. He submerged himself and came up again, shaking his head.

Hao had been a lot less antagonistic since he'd explained about his condition. Yoh wasn't sure if it was out of pity or just that Hao was starting to warm up to him. He didn't much care either way; it was better than being taunted and looked down on. Hao genuinely didn't seem to care why he was different, aside from satisfying his curiosity. Yoh wished he was just a little friendlier, but he was sure Hao had his reasons for being cool towards him. He wasn't about to push the Naga about it.

%&%&%&%

Hao slithered through the woods silently. He needed to feed and was restless because of it, and something else. He was, reluctantly, starting to accept having a cat in his territory. The cat was a little strange, with his friendliness, but he was polite and Hao could not find a good reason to drive him away.

And then there was his heat issue. It was interesting to Hao, although the cat would probably not agree. It didn't surprise him that the cats had considered it something to be ashamed about and had ostracised one of their own. They didn't seem very wise creatures. Except for the one currently in his territory, that is.

He was thinking so deeply that he didn't notice that anything was wrong until the smell of sickness and death assaulted his senses. He stopped dead, rearing up in an effort to make himself look bigger, eyes straining for whatever was there. The birds had stopped singing, and there was something big, very big, crashing through the undergrowth.

Hao tried to back away, but a huge grizzly bear came barrelling at him and he choked on a scream, diving out of the way to avoid being clawed or bitten. The grizzly came at him again, bellowing in rage. Hao could see a shaft of an arrow poking out from its side and puss oozing from it. He swore and slithered backwards, trying desperately to get away, but there was too much in his way.

"GET DOWN!" He heard someone scream and he flattened himself to the ground, looking up in time to see an arrow slice through the air and imbed itself in the bear's eye. The bear staggered forward and then plowed face-first into the ground.

Hao got up again, panting heavily. "You okay?" He looked at Yoh as he walked towards the dead bear.

"I am fine." Hao answered, hating the tremor in his voice. Yoh just nodded his head though and went to inspect the beast.

"Poor thing." Yoh said, inspecting the arrow wound. "Damn hunters didn't even have the decency to finish the job. It looks about a week old, which hopefully means whoever did it isn't anywhere near." He added. Hao nodded his head. "Soooo…. Do you want to split it?"

"Excuse me?" Hao asked.

"The bear, the pelt, the organs, the meat, do you want to split it?" Yoh replied. "Would be a waste just to let it sit here and rot."

"Yesss, I undersssstand that, but… you want to ssshhhhare?" Hao said. "Are you insssane?"

"I know I can't deal with all this meat before it goes bad." Yoh said. "Besides, it is your territory, you should get first dibs."

"I ssshhhould." Hao agreed. "Half the pelt, half the meat and the heart is mine." He said.

"Okay." Yoh agreed. He took out a large knife and began to cut through the pelt. Hao took his own knife from his belt and helped as well. "At least you can see where the infection is." Yoh commented, cutting out the bad meat and the diseased part of the pelt.

"That isss fortunate." Hao agreed. He was still totally confused by Yoh, but he hid it as the two of them worked on getting the pelt off and split in half and then dividing up the meat and organs.

"Leave the bones for the scavengers I suppose." Yoh sighed when they were done. Hao nodded in agreement and then watched as Yoh bowed to the skeleton, murmuring softly.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"It's a prayer, for the dead, to help it find its way back home, as well as a thank you for the gift of its body." Yoh replied. "You should always be polite to spirits."

"And to the earth itself, for giving up its bounty." Hao added.

"Yeah. Didn't know Nagas believed in that sort of thing." Yoh commented.

"What, the storiessss paint usss all as godless heathensssss?" Hao demanded grumpily. Yoh grinned awkwardly. "Wonderful."

"I don't get it. Why does my kind hate yours so much?" Yoh asked.

"I wissshhhh I knew." Hao replied. He knew none of the old stories, well, almost none. He knew that his kind had been created by the Old Masters, but to what purpose he did not know. He'd had no one to tell him such stories when he was an eggling.

"Me too." Yoh sighed. "Well, thanks again."

"I think it ssshhhould be me who isss thanking you, yesss?" Hao admitted reluctantly. Yoh smiled at him.

"I was just being a good neighbor."


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh cheerfully whistled as he worked. He'd found what must have been a farm once upon a time about a quarter day's walk from his house and was happily stuffing his pack with corn, squash and potatoes. He contemplated carrying one of the little pumpkins home with him, but decided it could wait for another time.

He'd also found apples, cranberries, mushrooms, crab apples, garlic and even ginger on his explorations through his new home. His stockpile of food for the winter was getting nice and big, but he knew it was better to overcompensate than undercompensate. Meat wouldn't be too much of a problem, there were plenty of rabbits, deer, and other small mammals as well as fish, frogs and birds that he could kill to eat.

Frogs were actually good eating he'd found, a bit of a buttery flavour to them. He also had his share of the bear meat, which had been smoked or dried and made into jerky. The skin had been made into his new bedspread and blanket, allowing him to make another coat for himself out of the deer hide he'd been using for blankets.

He was about to leave when he heard a soft sound, almost like a moan, from behind him. He took out his knife and crept forward to investigate. Lying in the middle of the corn was a young-looking mountain lion. It didn't seem afraid or wary of him, in fact, it tried to get up when it saw him, and that's when Yoh noticed the expensive looking collar around its neck, with a chain linked to it, that had somehow gotten twisted around the puma's left forepaw, making it have to keep the paw lifted off the ground.

"Hello." Yoh said gently. The puma stared at him and began squeaking and purring at him, as though talking to him. "You've got yourself in a bit of a bind, don't you?" Yoh said, kneeling on the ground carefully. He offered the puma a palm. The beast sniffed him and then rubbed its head against Yoh's outstretched hand, purring loudly.

"Tamed, huh? What happened? Did you get loose or did they just drop you off, figuring you were too much work?" Yoh murmured, carefully unwinding the chain from around the cougar's paw and removing the collar. He inspected the paw but didn't feel any breaks or see any bleeding. "Got lucky, huh?"

He looked briefly at the beast's hindquarters, it was a she. "Don't suppose you know how to hunt for yourself?" Yoh asked, seeing his answer in how thin she was. He pulled a piece of jerky from his pocket and gave it to the cougar. She gulped it down quickly and nudged his hands, looking for more. "Easy, girl, I'll see what I can do about finding more."

He stood up and began to walk, not very surprised when the cougar began trotting along beside him, favouring her left paw a little bit. "Smart girl." Yoh said approvingly. "You know your best bet for survival is with me. I'll have to teach you to hunt. I think I'll call Artemis, like the Original Peoples' ancient goddess of the hunt. What do you think?"

Artemis bumped her head against Yoh's side, purring loudly. Yoh chuckled. "Been spending too much time in the woods, half expected you to answer me." Artemis chuffed at him. "I mean there's Hao, but he's not too much for conversation, even at the best of times, and well, he's not that cuddly."

They walked back towards Yoh's home. Yoh managed to kill a rabbit their movements flushed out of the underbrush and Artemis ate it happily after it had been skinned. Yoh scratched behind her ears and then they were off again.

When they were getting close to home Artemis stopped, sniffing the air and then growled. "Easy, girl." Yoh said as Hao showed himself, eying Artemis with distaste.

"What isss that?" The Naga demanded.

"This is Artemis, she found me. She was definitely a pet at some point so I don't think she can hunt. I'm going to take care of her." Yoh answered, patting Artemis's head. "I don't think she'll bite, at least if you let her get your scent, show her you're a friend."

Hao slithered forward, still half-glaring at Artemis. "Artemis this is Hao, he's a friend." Yoh said, keeping his voice gentle and friendly, while scratching her head, trying to get her to associate Hao with good things. "Hold out your palm to her, let her sniff you."

Hao reluctantly did so, the end of his tail lashing as Artemis delicately sniffed at him. After a couple moments of this she rubbed her cheek against his hand, purring softly. "There we go!" Yoh said happily. He patted Artemis and gave her another piece of jerky, to reinforce the idea that Hao was good.

"Hmph, if ssshhhe bitessss me I will kill her." Hao informed Yoh.

"I wouldn't expect anything else." Yoh said politely.

"It looksss as though you've had a good day." Hao commented, eying his bulging bag.

"Yeah, there's what looks like an abandoned farm a little over a quarter day's walk back that way." Yoh said, pointing back the way he came. "I've marked the trees on the way there, if you want to ever check it out, there's some good stuff."

"I need to conssserve my energy right now." Hao said, sounding a little disappointed. "I cannot make that long of a journey without exhausting myself."

"Okay, would you like me to get some things for you?" Yoh asked. "There's potatoes, squash, corn, pumpkins, all kinds of good things."

"You would go back for me?" Hao asked, gazing at him. "What am I sssaying, thisss is you, you sshhared a bear with me." He flicked his tail, looking thoughtfully. "I like squassshhh, and corn isss always good to have."

"I'll make another trip in a couple days." Yoh said. "Do you just want me to drop them off by your cave for you?" Hao hesitated, going completely still except for the tip of his tail, which tapped against the ground.

"Very well." He finally said. "But do not go inssside."

"I won't." Yoh said. "Why don't I show you where my place is? That way we're on the same level."

"I have been wondering." Hao agreed.

"Could also make dinner for the two of us. I know a good recipe for squash soup." Yoh said.

"Really? My effortsss have been abysssmal at bessst." Hao said, looking interested.

"Alright, come on with me then." Yoh said. Hao slithered along beside him. "Hey, do you shed your scales? Just out of curiosity."

"You are very curiousss, I notice, and yessss, we do ssshhhed, once a year, in the spring time." Hao answered.

"What's that like?" Yoh asked.

"Itchy."

They got back to Yoh's place and Yoh crawled inside to get ingredients and such for dinner. "You can have a look inside, if you want." He called to Hao. Hao peered in, taking in the shelves Yoh had made, the bed and the large stockpile of food Yoh had already amassed. "I know it looks like a lot, but I don't go to sleep and then get up to eat every once in a while like you do." Yoh said with a shrug.

"I did not sssay anything." Hao said primly.

"Yeah, but you were thinking about it." Yoh replied. He crawled back out with everything he needed and got a small fire going. He'd scavenged pieces of metal from within the city so that his clay pot wasn't sitting directly in the flames.

He chopped up everything, squash, onion, garlic and carrot and sautéed the onions and the carrots before adding water to the pot. He brought the water to a boil, adding celery seed and cumin to add a bit of spice to it. While the water was getting going he roasted the squash until it was soft. Once the water was boiling he threw in the squash and the garlic, stirring every so often. Hao watched everything carefully, occasionally asking why he was doing something.

When the soup had thickened enough for his taste he added a bit of salt, and then tasted it. He licked his lips and then offered Hao a taste, to see how it was. Hao took the spoon and carefully licked a little bit of the soup; his tongue was forked.

"That issss good." He said appreciatively.

"Glad you think so." Yoh said with a smile. He ladled a generous portion into both their bowls and even gave some to Artemis, who actually licked it up quite eagerly. Yoh made a note to get her weight up as fast as he could before winter set in.

"You mentioned an… Amidamaru?" Yoh nodded his head. "You sssaid he wasss the one who taught you how to sssurvive out here. Why did you not bring him along?"

"It's easier to track two people than it is to track one, and if they just caught me, I'd just probably be confined somewhere. Amidamaru would be treated as a criminal, fired and disgraced. I couldn't ask that of him."

"I ssssee." Hao said.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Yoh asked. Hao considered him for a moment.

"No. I travelled much before I came to sssettle here." Hao said.

"It's a nice spot." Yoh said. "And you've got that cave to live in, must be convenient." Yoh said.

"Yesss, especially becausssse of the hot springs." Hao said.

"Ahh, so you don't even have to make an effort to stay warm in there, the place does it for you. Clever." Yoh said. "If you want more, go for it. Soup doesn't last too long right now. When the winter comes I can freeze things, but right now…" He shrugged. Hao thanked him and took a second helping.

"Thisss has been pleasssant." The Naga said finally, uncoiling himself.

"It has." Yoh agreed. "We should do it again. Trade recipes, that sort of thing."

"That would be amenable." Hao agreed. "Goodnight, Yoh."

"Goodnight, Hao."


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

Hao slithered outside and hissed in annoyance at seeing frost on the ground. How he hated the cold with every fiber of his being. He slipped back inside and put on his deer skin coat and then headed back outside. It was times like this that he wished he had legs instead of a tail, because legs could at least be covered.

He was still too cold and lethargic to do any hunting, so he went to the creek to seek out his favourite sunning rock, in order to warm up. He heard and smelled Yoh before he saw him, but simply stayed coiled up, soaking up the warmth of the sun.

"Cold one this morning, huh?" Yoh said amiably. Hao opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Yesss." Hao agreed. "It issss irritating." Artemis hopped up onto the rock with him and yawned, flopping down on the rock. "I do not think your beassst makessss a very effective guardian."

"Well, she was probably a pet." Yoh shrugged. "At least she's learning to hunt now. I think the herd's in the meadow, just so you don't have to go wandering willy-nilly looking for food."

"My thanksss." Hao said politely. He yawned. The fatigue was already starting to come over him. In less than a month's time he would probably be starting to hibernate. Yoh took out his fishing pole and sat down by the edge of the creek, shivering slightly as his tail made contact with the cold ground.

Such an odd little tail, Hao mused to himself. It didn't seem to have much of a function to it, so he was frankly confused as to why it was necessary. It could not strangle prey, nor did it have other defensive features, like spikes or poison.

"What are you looking at?" Yoh suddenly asked with a faint laugh.

"Your tail." Hao replied. "It seemsss uselessss to have."

"Well, it can't take down an entire deer like yours can, but it does have its uses." Yoh replied.

"Sssuch asss?" Hao prompted.

"It's an indicator of mood, like the ears can be." Yoh said, wiggling said ears. "In addition it helps with balance, makes it easier for us to clamour among the trees and such." Yoh focused back on his fishing and Hao watched the tip of his tail twitch in anticipation.

"So do all Naga live alone like you do?" Yoh suddenly asked.

"For the mosssst part." Hao replied. "We are a sssolitary speciesss and very territorial."

"What about when you have children?" Yoh asked.

"Mosst of the time the male will leave once he knowssss the female isss with eggsss." Hao said. "Sometimesss we will find sssomeone we feel we can ssshhhare our livesss with." He explained. "But that doesss not happen often."

Yoh hummed thoughtfully and then pulled a large trout from the river. "Here, Artemis." Artemis caught the fish in her mouth and began to eat. "Do you want one too?" Yoh asked. "I was just going to grill one for myself here."

"That would be acceptable." Hao replied. He would still have to hunt, but having something in his belly would help his mood. Yoh sat silently, waiting patiently for his next fish. "What of your kind? Do you prefer ssssolitude, or companionsssshhhip?"

"We're pretty social creatures." Yoh answered. "Our cities and towns are proof of that. That's why I was always trying to talk to you whenever I saw you. I don't have to wonder if I'm being irritating anymore, though."

"Oh, you think sssso do you?" Hao replied to that. Yoh just chuckled at him. Hao uncoiled himself a little more, to allow more of his tail to soak up the heat of the sun. Yoh soon had two more fish caught.

"I need to get my tools from my house." He muttered. "Make sure Artemis doesn't eat those, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hao looked at Artemis, who merely yawned and then bumped her head against Hao's side, purring loudly. Hao sighed in exasperation and reached out to scratch Artemis behind the ears. "You're asss irritating asss your massster." He informed the puma. Artemis chirped at him in reply.

"Gossiping with my pet?" Yoh asked with amusement as he came back, his shoulder bag bulging. "Figured we might as well make it a full meal." He explained, taking out potatoes, garlic and a couple apples. He tossed one of the apples to Hao. Hao's stomach rumbled loudly at him. "Best get some food in you before you decide to try and eat me." Yoh joked, getting a fire going and placing a clay skillet on top of the low flames.

"I can help." Hao offered. Yoh grinned at him in thanks.

"Can you peel and chop up the potatoes?" He asked. Hao nodded and took the potatoes. "So if Nagas are very territorial, how come you let me stay? Did you just not consider me a threat?"

"No, I wouldn't sssay that." Hao replied. "I did consssider you a threat, but I wasss confident that I could overpower you, if you tried anything."

"You did want me to leave though, at first." Yoh pointed out. "Why'd you change your mind?"

"You were polite to me." Hao answered. "The firssst time any of your kind had been. It gave me paussse, and admittedly, I wasss curiousss about you."

"So you let me stay, in order to observe me, and see if I would in fact turn out just like the rest of them?" Yoh guessed. Hao nodded. "Well, I really have to thank you for letting me stay then."

"It hasss worked out in my favour." Hao said, eying the cooking fish and potatoes.

"It has indeed." Yoh laughed. "Works in my favour too, not too many predators around, and someone I can actually talk to."

"It isss pleasant." Hao agreed. Yoh finished with the food and they simply ate out of the pan. It was plainly spiced, but good. Hao had found Yoh to be quite the cook and very much looked forward to the days Yoh suggested they eat together. He'd miss those when the snows came.

Hao yawned again, but shook his head. "Feeling sleepy?" Yoh asked.

"It isss getting clossse to the snow." Hao explained. "My body is ssstarting to prepare itssself."

"Sleep for a few days straight, eat and then go back to sleep." Yoh said. "There are worse ways to spend a winter."

"I would agree, except for having to hunt ssstill." Hao grumbled.

"Yeah, I don't envy you that. At least I can keep all my parts covered." Yoh said. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if I hunted for you?"

"I beg your pardon?" Hao asked.

"I can bring you some of the game I hunt, that way you don't have to go out in the snow." Yoh said.

"Why? What do you have to gain from sssuch a thing?" Hao asked.

"I'm not looking to gain anything from it." Yoh said with a shrug. "That's just what friends do?"

"Friendsss?" Hao repeated.

"Yeah." Yoh said, looking surprised. "Isn't that what we are?"

"I would not know, I have never had friendsss before." Hao answered.

"Well, friends look out for each other, and they share with each other and talk to each other, so yeah, we're friends." Yoh said decisively. "And as your friend I want to help you out this winter."

"You are certain?" Hao said. "Will it not take extra time for you?"

"Not really." Yoh said. "Most of my meat I get from my snares, or fishing, and a deer could be split between the two of us. I can't imagine you eat as much as you normally do during the winter."

"True." Hao said. He thought about it for a few moments. Yoh would have to leave the meat inside his cave in order to prevent some beast from making off with it. That thought didn't make him afraid though, as it once did. He found he had grown to trust Yoh in the months since he'd come. "You would have to come into the cave to leave the food." He pointed out.

"I know." Yoh said. "That's why I debated about asking, I know how you feel about having me know where you live."

"It issss of no concern now." Hao said.

"Excellent!" Yoh said happily. "Now you don't have to worry about cold scales."


	8. Chapter 8

Star: Warning, sex ahead! I own nothing!

Winter had come and Hao was enjoying it more than any other year. Thanks to Yoh he no longer had to go outside in the cold to get fresh meat. Every few days he'd just wake up and there would be a rabbit, part of a deer or some other animal waiting for him in his cave, already skinned and prepared, so all he had to do was cook it, and thus he did not have to spend so much time awake.

He didn't like to admit it, but he actually did like Yoh now. He'd spent so much time making sure he couldn't be hurt by other people that he'd never really interacted with them, and now, he couldn't get enough of it. Especially since Yoh was so easy to talk to; Yoh didn't judge, and only asked not to be judged in return.

He was just waking up when he heard the sound of someone coming into the cave. He lifted his head slightly to see Yoh walk in with a rabbit in hand. Hao was about to just go back to sleep when he noticed that Yoh was breathing heavily, and he seemed rather distracted. Hao opened his mouth to taste the air and caught the tell-tale whiff of heat scent. Ah, he thought to himself, so it's that time again.

"Hi, it's good you're awake I guess." Yoh said, blinking rapidly at him, as though trying to stay focused on him. "You can probably already tell I'm going into heat. I don't… don't really know how this is going to go, I just hope I can make it back home before it becomes too overwhelming. If…" He gulped, pupils beginning to dilate. "If I don't… come back after two days… then assume I didn't make it, okay?"

"Is there nothing you can do?" Hao asked, uncoiling himself. Yoh shook his head, running shaking fingers through his hair.

"I'm just going to have… have to bear it." He said. "There's no other way." Hao looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and then slithered forward swiftly until he was nose-to-nose with Yoh. Yoh gasped, his pupils dilating even further, the musk of his heat increasing, intoxicating Hao's senses.

"There issss me." Hao said.

"Wha?" Yoh said, blinking rather dazedly.

"Friendssss help each other." Hao said. "Let me help you." Yoh stared at him, open-mouthed for a long moment. Hao pushed his hips into the cat's, making him shudder and moan. "Let me help you." Hao repeated. "Pleasssse." Yoh dumbly nodded his head, his dark brown irises nearly swallowed up by his pupils.

Hao rolled his hips again, pressing as close as he could and nipped Yoh's earlobe sharply. Yoh's hips jerked and he moaned loudly, the sound going right to Hao's groan and his rapidly hardening erections. "Do you feel that?" He hissed in Yoh's ear. "Can you imagine what I will feel like, filling you, thrusssting, making you come, over and over, until you can't take any more."

He would have to be careful with his dirty talk. Yoh had spoken with him about the prostitutes who had serviced him before, how they had called him a dirty little whore, a slut. He did not wish Yoh to remember that and associate Hao with them. He wanted Yoh only to remember pleasure.

Yoh whimpered, a needy, breathy sound, letting Hao know his words had been well chosen. Hao moved backwards and Yoh whined, reaching out for him. "Take off your clothesss." Hao demanded. "And I will give you what you need." Yoh hastened to comply while Hao took one of the jars with the goo that the tentacle plant secreted. It made for a good lube, because it also deadened pain.

He slithered back to Yoh and spun him around to face the wall, gripping his wrists and pushing his hands against the wall on either side of his head. "Ssstay just like that." Hao said, exhaling warm breath on Yoh's exposed neck. Yoh shivered in anticipation. He coated his fingers in the lube and pressed one into Yoh.

"Please, need…" Yoh whimpered, squirming slightly. "More…"

"Husssshhhh." Hao murmured, gripping Yoh's hair and tugging gently. Yoh let out a moan, so he yanked harder, pulling his head back to expose his throat. Hao licked a long stripe up along Yoh's frantically beating pulse as he pushed another finger into the cat, thrusting them gently in and out, stretching him. Yoh keened softly and pushed back against Hao's fingers.

"I refussse to hurt you, ssso be patient." Hao murmured, releasing Yoh's hair. Yoh just pleaded for more, beyond the capacity to understand anything but his need to be fucked. Hao slid his hand down Yoh's chest and gripped Yoh's erection, pumping it in time with his thrusts.

He pushed one more finger into Yoh and thrust them a little more forcefully, hitting Yoh's prostate. Yoh cried out, body arching against him. The cat whimpered and begged as Hao tormented him, running a finger over the slit in the head of his penis and rubbing against his prostate with every thrust of his fingers.

"Just imagine how it will feel when my cock isss insssside you, how stretched and filled you will be." Hao hissed in Yoh's ear. Yoh cried out again, his body shaking as he orgasmed. Hao slid his fingers out while Yoh whimpered softly in need and coated one of his erections in lube.

"Shhhussshhhh." He whispered, pressing back against Yoh and guiding himself to his entrance. He pressed, slow and steady, careful not to cause any harm to Yoh. He kept a firm grip on Yoh's hips, as the cat tried to thrust against him, pleading with him for more. "Be sssstill." Hao admonished, nipping Yoh's neck.

When he was in all the way he paused, sucking languidly at Yoh's neck, hands still keeping the cat's hips still. "Do you feel me, do I feel good inside you, filling you?" He hissed. Yoh shivered at the sound of his voice. "Do you want me to move?" He asked. He received a frantic nod in reply. "Sssso impatient." He crooned, pulling out and then snapping his hips forward, making Yoh yowl with pleasure.

The pace he set was fast and hard, knowing that Yoh needed release and that teasing him would only distress the addle-minded cat. Every powerful thrust rocked Yoh forward as he cried out and begged for more. It wasn't long until Yoh came, his body clenching around Hao and making him spill his seed inside him.

Hao paused for a moment to catch his breath, but Yoh squirmed and whimpered, pushing his hips back against him, needing more. "Patiencccce." Hao crooned, pulling out of Yoh.

"No, please…" Yoh begged.

"Husssshhhh." Hao soothed, licking at Yoh's neck again. He shifted a little and gripped under Yoh's knees, lifting him up off his feet. Yoh leaned back so his back was pressed to Hao's chest as Hao spread his legs wide, positioning over his neglected second cock. With a soft sound almost like a purr in Yoh's ear he pushed Yoh down onto his cock, delighting in the shiver the action produced.

"You're getting ssssso sensssitive now, aren't you?" He hissed against Yoh's skin, lifting him up and down in short quick movements. Yoh moaned, tilting his head back, hands grasping at Hao's biceps. Hao used the leverage to push deeper into Yoh, making the cat groan breathlessly in pleasure.

"Hao…Hao… Hao…." The sound of his name gasped breathlessly sent a shiver of satisfaction down Hao's spine.

"You like this." He crooned. "Doesss the feel of my sssscales against your ssskin excite you? Do you like the feeling of my cock grinding up againssst your prossstate? Moan for me, kitten."

Yoh arched up, doing just that. Hao hissed softly again and felt Yoh shiver in his arms at the sound. "Doesss the ssssound of my voice pleasssse you, doesss it turn you on?" Yoh whimpered and nodded his head. "Good." Hao crooned. "I like a ressssponsive partner, it pleassses me, but you can feel that already."

Yoh tensed up, his body going rigid and he cried out loudly again, climaxing. Hao thrust a few more times into his tight heat and climaxed as well, shuddering with pleasure as white spots danced before his eyes and he lost track of time and space.

When he came back to himself Yoh was slumped against him, panting softly. Hao shifted and stiffened, groaning softly. Hao hushed him gently and pulled out. He carried Yoh over to the bear skin that they had shared those weeks ago and laid the cat down on it.

Yoh's eyelids were drooping, but he still tried his best to focus on Hao. Hao left his side for a moment, finding a cup and getting Yoh some water. When he was back he saw that Yoh was already trying to fall asleep. He shook him back awake gently.

Yoh made a protesting noise, but Hao merely lifted his head up and placed the cup against his lips, helping him drink. Once he was done he let Yoh's head drop back onto the fur. "Sssssleep now." Hao murmured, petting Yoh's hair. Yoh's eyes drifted closed and his breathing evened out.

Hao went to his hot spring, dipping a scrap of fur into the warm water and went back to Yoh. He cleaned the sleeping cat to the best of his ability. He felt a nudge against his side as he did so and looked around to see Artemis blinking up at him.

"Good girl." Hao said, thinking she must have stayed out of the way while he was servicing Yoh. She purred and rubbed her head against Hao's scales, then lay down next to her master. Hao sighed and looked at the discarded rabbit. He grunted softly and coiled up again. Food could wait, he'd need sleep in order to keep up with Yoh again later anyways.


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh came awake slowly. He shifted slightly, cataloguing the aches he'd acquired over the last couple days. He didn't hurt as bad as he sometimes did after his heat, and Hao had been kind to him, much kinder than most. He could always remember what had happened during his heat, but it always had a dream-like quality, somehow like watching something happen to someone else.

He didn't think any of the prostitutes that had been hired had ever taken the time to prepare him like that, they'd just lubed themselves up and started fucking him. What's more Hao had stopped and waited between orgasms, to make sure he was okay to keep going and had stopped as soon as he'd expressed, in his own incoherent way, that he'd had enough.

Hao had even made sure to make him drink water, so that his head wasn't spinning and his throat wasn't dry with dehydration. He shifted again, and the lack of stickiness coating his skin seemed to indicate that Hao had even cleaned him.

He sat up, groaning slightly, because although Hao had been careful, there was still pain from two days of sex. Artemis bumped her head against his, purring happily. "Hey girl." He whispered. He heard the shift of scales and looked up to see Hao uncoiling himself and blinking sleepily. "I'm okay, I'm good." Yoh said. "You can go back to sleep."

"I need to eat." Hao said simply. "You are well?" He asked.

"Yeah, better than most times." Yoh replied.

"I did not do anything to upssset you, did I? Ssssay anything?" Hao asked. Yoh frowned for a moment, and then was able to remember how Hao had spoken to him, whispering soft words in his ear that had made his blood rush even faster than it was.

"No, no, I… I liked it." Yoh said.

"I ssssimplified my wordsss, sssince your intellect wasss so severely diminissshhhed." Hao said. "You sssshhhhould eat, before you leave."

Yoh was starving. "I can make something for myself when I get back." He replied, standing up on shaky legs.

"I insisssst." Hao said, beginning to take out vegetables and such. "You can bathe, you sssstink. There is a hot spring further back in this cave."

"Uh, thanks." Yoh said. "You're sure?"

"I would not have ssssaid so if I wasssn't." Hao replied, moving to start a fire. Yoh walked unsteadily towards the back of the cave, Artemis keeping pace and squeaking in concern.

"It's alright, girl." Yoh soothed, patting her head. He stepped into the hot spring pool and sighed in contentment at the feel of the warm water. It was so much better than warming up a pan of water and sponge-bathing himself like he had been doing. The warmth soaked into his skin, taking away his aches. He soaked for a long time and then got out when he could smell Hao's cooking.

His clothes were laid out by the edge of the pool and he gratefully pulled them on. "Thank you." He said to Hao.

"Friendsss help friendsss." Hao replied, stirring a simmering pot of rabbit soup. He yawned widely. Yoh felt bad, knowing he was keeping Hao from his sleep.

"You don't have to, I know that I've been cutting into your hibernation time, so you don't have to keep doing things for me-"

"Sssssilence." Hao admonished. "You are my friend, you have taken care of me, it issss the leassst I can do to take care of you. I do not mind." He added gently. "You have ssssaved me many cold daysss and I am grateful."

"It's nothing, least I can do for a friend." Yoh mumbled.

"Exactly." Hao said, satisfied.

"Oh." Yoh coloured slightly, sitting down. "Sorry, I'm just not used to people doing that sort of thing for me."

"Nor am I." Hao replied, handing Yoh a bowl of soup. "What of your friendssss before?"

"I think they would, if I asked, but no one's ever just offered." Yoh said, taking a bite of soup. "They're not bad friends, they just know I don't like to talk about it, so they don't bring it up."

"Would it embarrassss you if I asssked if you remember everything?" Hao queried.

"I do remember everything." Yoh said. "The memories sort of got a dream-like feel to them though, like they weren't quite real. You can ask questions, I don't mind so much since you don't view it as something abhorrent. I ask you questions all the time, only fair you can ask me questions."

"They hurt you, thossse that your grandfather hired to 'take care' of you." Hao spat the words out with distaste. "Didn't they?"

Yoh looked down at his bowl. "Yes. They never prepared me like you did, and they wouldn't stop when it was obvious I'd had enough and I just wanted to sleep." He admitted. "They also never gave me water to drink, so that by the time my heat was over I was dehydrated. I was often ill after my heats because of it."

"Your grandfather, he knew?" Hao demanded.

"Yes." Hao hissed angrily and Yoh flinched a little. "He said that because I was so unnatural I just had to deal with it. I spent years believing I deserved that kind of treatment." Hao looked horrified. "I don't anymore, but there's not much else I could do at the time."

"It issss just asss well you left then." Hao said.

"Yeah." Yoh agreed. They ate in silence for a couple minutes.

"Do you mind if I assssk if you have had sssexual encounters outsssside of your heat?" Hao asked.

"I haven't." Yoh admitted. "I spent so many years ashamed of what I was, and then after I stopped blaming myself I wanted to take that step with someone I trusted and loved. My family keeps me very isolated, so while the town knows of me, many do not know me. I have few friends, and most of them have their own significant others, or view me as a brother. What about you?"

"Ssssince nagasss do not normally form ssssuch closssse attachments casssual sex isss part of our naturesss." Hao said with a shrug. "If we are attracted to ssssomeone we will have sex. In my travels I have had sssex with a few others, finding a preference for male partnerssss."

"So you're gay then?" Yoh asked.

"I would sssay bisexual, because I ssstill enjoy having a female partner." Hao replied.

"I'm the same way." Yoh admitted. "I find both attractive." Hao bopped Artemis gently on the nose as she tried to beg for some of his soup.

"Away with you, beassst." Hao said affectionately. Yoh smiled. This was a very different Hao from the one he had met those months ago, he reflected. Hao was now his friend, and willing to help him when he was at his most vulnerable. Yoh felt humbled, knowing that Hao did not give out his trust easily.

"What are you thinking of?" Hao asked.

"I was thinking how lucky I am to have a friend like you." Yoh replied.

"I think that the luck is for both of usss." Hao replied, smiling faintly. Yoh liked it when Hao smiled, because he didn't do it often, and it was such a nice smile.

"I can clean the dishes, if you want to go back to sleep." Yoh offered, seeing Hao yawn again.

"That would be helpful." Hao agreed, sounding sleepy. Yoh took the bowls and the pot and washed them in the snow just outside Hao's cave. When he sneaked back in to put them away, Hao was already sleeping again, all coiled up with his upper body lying on his coils.

Yoh tiptoed over to him and put a hand on his head. Hao let out a grumbling noise. "I brought back your stuff. Goodnight Hao." He whispered.

"G'night." was the mumbled reply. Yoh smiled and tiptoed back out of the cave. He felt good, the best he'd ever felt after his heat and he headed off to check his snares whistling happily.


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh tiptoed into Hao's cave with the two fish that he'd caught for the Naga. He limped a little, having tripped over a log buried under the snow earlier. He was doing his best to be quiet, but the soft rasp of scales on scales as Hao shifted told him he hadn't done a very good job.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered as Hao opened his eyes and yawned widely.

"I wasss waking anywaysss." Hao replied.

"Ah, okay, I brought you some fish." Yoh said, dropping them in the pot by Hao's fire pit.

"You are injured." Hao said, uncoiling and slithering towards Yoh.

"I tripped, it's fine." Yoh replied.

"Let me ssssee." Hao demanded. "Ssssit." He said. Yoh sat on the ground, bemused and took off his boot. Artemis pranced over to Hao, purring loudly. Hao absentmindedly patted her on the heat while searching through the little jars that he had. He slithered back over to Yoh and lifted his foot, inspecting his ankle with gentle fingers.

"No breaksss or tearsss that I can feel." He murmured. "You are fortunate." He smeared a brownish coloured paste on the bruises that were already forming. "That will help with the bruissssing, and the pain."

"Thanks, Hao." Yoh said.

"You could thank me by making ssssome of your squasssshhhh ssssoup." Hao suggested. It was said almost shyly, as though Hao wasn't quite sure he was allowed to ask such things of him.

"Sure thing." Yoh smiled. "What about the fish though?"

"They will keep, if I leave them in the sssnow outsssside." Hao replied.

"Okay." Yoh said cheerfully. He started the fire up and went outside to bury the fish in snow as well as dump a bunch of snow in the pot so that it would melt and boil. "You know the creek is frozen over enough that I can walk on it without punching through. I could go skating if I wanted."

"What isss skating?" Hao asked, watching Yoh move around, getting his ingredients.

"We have shoes with blades on the bottom of them and we use them to travel on ice because it's easier than trying to walk." Yoh said. "It's fun."

"Perhapsss for you." Hao said. Yoh chortled, trying to imagine Hao with dozens of skates tied to his tail, trying to skate. "Anything elsssse to note about the world right now?"

"Not really. There's a red-tailed hawk that seems to have settled in the area, seen it flying around." Yoh commented. "Other than that it's been pretty boring, especially with no one to talk to."

"What did you ussssed to do in the winter?" Hao asked, watching Yoh's hands as he chopped up squash and onions for the soup.

"Tobogganing, skating…" Yoh chuckled at Hao's blank look. "Tobogganing is when you sit on a piece of carved wood and use it to slide down a hill covered in snow, it's a lot of fun."

"You catssss have ssstrange wayssss of having fun." Hao said, shaking his head.

"Well, we need to do something to pass the time, I mean the fields are all bare, so there's no work to be done there, so most of the farmers just have the winter off." Yoh explained. "Horohoro always loved that."

"Horohoro?" Hao asked.

"A friend. Technically he works for the family, but he's my age so we always hung around each other when his work was done." Yoh said. "He even taught me a little bit about gardening, so maybe I could grow some food for myself in the coming year, so I don't have to forage so much."

"Wassss he one of the onesss who would help you?" Hao asked.

"Yeah, but he and Ren are together now, and I don't want to come between them." Yoh said with a shrug.

"And Ren isss?"

"Another friend. His family deals with weapons and armour, so they're pretty well off." Yoh explained. "Amidamaru's best friend, Mosuke, works for them as a swordsmith."

"Ssssurely you had more friends than just those." Hao said. "You catsss like being around each other, after all."

"Yeah, but I'm a freak, remember?" Yoh said bitterly. Hao was silent for a long moment.

"You are not a freak." He hissed angrily. He continued in a softer tone. "You may be different, but it is no excussse for anyone to treat you like you are a lesssser creature. You are far more than they will ever be."

Yoh blushed and focused on stirring the soup. The tenderness in Hao's voice was something new, and he wasn't sure what to do with it. "You get called something for years, you start to believe it." He told Hao. "But I'm learning to ignore them now."

"Good." Hao said.

"As for your question, I do have other friends, but they don't live in the town." Yoh said. "One is Lyserg, his family are skilled hunters, because they can track their prey so well. They travel a lot so I only see him when his family's stopped in town. Another is Chocolove, and he works with a travelling circus, so you can see why I don't get to see him very often as well."

"A circussss?" Hao asked.

"It's like a performance. You've got people who have tamed animals like lions and bears to do tricks, and then there's acrobats that walk on wires high above the ground and swing on trapezes. And clowns, who make people laugh. Chocolove's a clown, but he's not very funny when he tries to do his own thing rather than stick to the script." Yoh explained. "They set up a big tent, big as a building and everything's inside. They sell all kinds of treats too. I always liked the circus. Thought about running away with one sometimes, but my family's got a lot of influence and I'd be back in no time."

"Hence why you ran away into the foressst instead." Hao said.

"Yeah, after a while my people would just give up." Yoh said with a shrug. "I'm sure some of them think I'm dead, but the ones that really know me, and that know that I can survive out here, they'll know I'm alive, at least, that's what I hope."

"Will you ever go back?" Hao asked.

"I don't know." Yoh admitted. "Maybe someday." He saw a flash of disappointment cross Hao's face before it disappeared. "That won't be for years though, until I can be certain that marrying me off is no longer a viable option."

"Hmph, and there were probably not many willing to be married to you anywaysss, because they are all idiotssss." Hao hissed.

"Yeah." Yoh agreed. "Besides, I've got you to look after, don't I?" He teased. Hao hissed at him playfully.

"What of your mother?" Hao asked. "I have only ever heard you speak of your grandfather, did she die?" There was something strange in Hao's voice that Yoh couldn't identify.

"No, she didn't die, she's just… not there." Yoh said. "In a way, I think it would be easier if she was dead instead of just ignoring me. I don't even know if it was something I did, or if grandfather told her to stay away from me, but…" He swallowed past a lump in his throat.

"I am sorry." Hao said softly. "I did not mean to bring up anything painful."

"It is what it is." Yoh sighed. He tasted the soup and added a little more spice to the mixture and stirred. "I think this is about done." He declared. "Could you get some bowls?" He heard Hao slither away and come back again. He always had the urge to touch Hao's scales, to see if they were as soft as he thought they would be, but he was afraid to offend his friend.

He looked up and found that Hao was sitting, although he wasn't sure sitting was the right word for how Hao rested, next to him, with his tail surrounding the fire, so that it was just behind Yoh. He'd never done that before, but Yoh decided not to wonder about it. He ladled out the soup and blew on his to cool it.

Without thinking he leaned back, but jumped when his back touched Hao's scaled tail. "Sorry." He stammered out.

"It isss fine, you can lean on me if you wissshhh." Hao replied. Yoh grinned and leaned back.

"Is it okay if I touch you?" He asked after a moment. Hao nodded his head and Yoh brushed his fingers against Hao's scales. They were very smooth, and quite soft too. He looked up to see that Hao had an odd, wistful look on his face, but the Naga quickly looked away from him, hiding his expression once more.

"We should do thissss more often." Hao said, yawning as they finished their meal.

"Yeah? Instead of just leaving you food, I could wake you up and we have dinner together?" Yoh asked. Hao nodded his head, already dropping off to sleep. "See you in a couple days then, Hao, have a good rest."

"Goodnight." was Hao's mumbled reply.


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Hao was awakened by a tap on his shoulder. He lifted his head and yawned, opening his eyes as he caught the traces of Yoh's heat scent. Yoh looked at him, expression apologetic. Hao uncoiled and wrapped the end of his tail around Yoh's legs.

"Why do you look asss if I would deny you what you need?" He asked. Yoh blinked rapidly at him, his focus waning as his heat took control.

"Not used to it, know you need your sleep." He managed to gasp out.

"You need me more." Hao replied, pushing himself against Yoh and nuzzling into his neck. "Ssstop thinking, let me take care of you." He crooned. Yoh shivered against him, hips moving mindlessly. "Good Kitten." Hao nipped Yoh's ear, making him moan lustily. Hao steered Yoh over to the bear skin that was lying on the ground and pushed him down on top of it.

Impulsively he kissed Yoh, hard and passionate. Yoh responded eagerly, hands grabbing at Hao, pushing against him and whining in need. "Husssshhhh." Hao soothed, working Yoh's boots and pants off. He slid down Yoh's body and took his erection into his mouth, swallowing him down. Yoh whimpered and tried to buck his hips, but Hao had place his tail over Yoh's torso, pinning him down.

He bobbed his head, sucking hard and swirling his tongue around Yoh's erection. He enjoyed the noises Yoh made for him. While he was doing that he found the jar of lube and coated his fingers in it. Continuing to give Yoh a blowjob he also began the task of preparing him, making Yoh's moans come louder and his writhing become desperate.

Hao thrust his fingers in and out, each thrust brushing up against Yoh's prostate. Yoh arched up as much as he could and uttered a wailing cry. Hao felt his entrance clench around his fingers and his cock pulse in his mouth. He slid the erection from his mouth and removed his fingers. He moved his tail off Yoh and Yoh reached for him, begging for more.

"Sssshhhh." Hao soothed, leaning down and kissing Yoh again. He pressed into Yoh, slow and careful. Yoh whimpered into his mouth, clutching at his shoulders, leaving marks in his skin. Hao waited, peppering soft kisses over Yoh's sweat-slick skin as Yoh pleaded with him to move.

He gave into Yoh's pleading, driving into him with as much force as he could without hurting Yoh, quick and hard. His second cock rubbed against Yoh's as he moved, creating even more delicious sensations. He leaned down and sucked bright red marks into the skin of Yoh's neck while he thrashed and cried out from the assault.

"Mine." He hissed, barely conscious of what he was saying. "Mine, mine, mine." The words were chanted like a mantra against Yoh's skin. Yoh moaned, hands buried in his hair, tugging almost painfully in his mindless lust.

When Yoh shuddered in orgasm Hao came as well, a dual-orgasm that left him breathless and panting. Thankfully Yoh was tired enough from two orgasms that he did not beg for more. Feeling a little dazed Hao gave Yoh watered and cleaned him up.

He then coiled his body around Yoh's and lay his upper body down on the bear fur beside Yoh. He lay away for a few minutes, contemplating Yoh's sleeping face. He reached out and stroked Yoh's cheek and then stopped himself. He wasn't supposed to feel like this.

Yoh was his friend, Yoh was kind to him, Yoh took care of him and he took care of Yoh, but that didn't mean that Yoh would want a romantic partnership with him. He didn't think Yoh would be repulsed by the fact that Hao had fallen in love with him, but he didn't know for certain. Cats' minds were strange to him, and he feared going back to his lonely life before Yoh, if Yoh decided he didn't want to be around him anymore. With those thoughts in his head it was a long time before he managed to fall back asleep.

%&%&%&%

Yoh woke up, warm, with something wrapped around his legs and another body pressed up against his. That was different. No one ever really wanted to touch him after his heat, but he felt like he was being cuddled. He realized that the surface he was laying on was in fact Hao's coils.

He cautiously opened his eyes to find Hao's sleeping face mere inches away from his. He smiled slightly, recalling the way Hao had kissed him, and his soft muttering during the sex. He didn't know if it meant anything, but it was nice to dream a little bit.

Yoh tried to wiggle out of the grip that Hao had on him, but the coil wrapped around him tightened and Hao let out a grumpy hiss. Yoh decided it wasn't a good idea to disturb his friend and settled back down again. Hao grumbled and wrapped his arms around Yoh, nuzzling into his neck.

"You're very cute sometimes." Yoh whispered. Hao mumbled, but didn't wake up. He cautiously lifted a hand and stroked Hao's hair. Hao hummed in contentment. His hair was soft and silky. Yoh was reluctant to get up, but he knew that he needed to check his traps. He was hungry, and Hao would be hungry too.

"Hao." He whispered. "I need to get up." He said, stroking Hao's hair still. Hao made a grumpy sound in reply. "I need to check my traps, and then I can bring you something nice to eat, okay?" Hao sighed and the coil around Yoh loosened enough that he could wiggle free. "Thank you." He whispered, touching Hao's cheek gently.

He got on his clothes, grimacing slightly as the various aches and soreness from his heat protested his movements. "Artemis, stay with Hao." He told his pet. Artemis, happy napping, just yawned and went back to sleep.

Yoh tramped through the snow, thinking about the way he'd woken up, and blushed. "It doesn't necessarily mean anything." He said out loud. "Hao could have just gravitated towards me in his sleep, seeking warmth." He said. "That's logical, right?"

His first couple of snares were empty, but there was an otter in the next one. He snapped its neck quickly and moved on with it. "Anyways, just because he's my friend and he's willing to help me with my problem, doesn't mean that he isn't completely opposed to falling in love with someone like me." He reasoned, finding a hare in another one of his snares. "But then… I was lying on top of his coils, and the only way I could have gotten there is if Hao had placed me there himself."

He began to trudge back to Hao's cave. "Why would he put me in that position?" He wondered aloud. "It seems silly that he would do it to keep an eye on me, he had no trouble last time waking up. So, the only real reason is because he wanted me close." He blushed again. He quit talking to himself because he was back at the cave.

Inside Hao was already getting a pot of water boiling. "You don't have to do that, I can take care of it." Yoh offered. "You could go back to sleep."

"I need food more than I need sssssleep right now." Hao answered shortly. He seemed to be avoiding Yoh's eyes. Was he embarrassed?

"If you want to help out, could you chop up some vegetables for soup?" Yoh asked. Hao nodded his head and slithered over to his stores. An awkward silence fell as they worked in tandem. Yoh knew he had to do something; otherwise their relationship would remain strained. Did he dare make that leap though; take a gamble that he was right about Hao's feelings for him?

The silence stretched on while they ate, becoming near unbearable. Yoh finally decided to take matters into his own hands and got up. Hao eyed him warily as he walked around the fire and sat down right next to him. Yoh didn't lean back, not wanting to aggravate the already on edge Naga.

"Your hair's really soft." He commented, smiling sweetly up at Hao. "How do you get it that way?"

"I do not know." Hao said after a moment's silence. "I think perhapsss it is ssssomething in the water."

"Whatever it is, it's nice." Yoh replied. "It was nice waking up like that. Never had anyone hold me like… like I was something precious." He blushed, feeling stupid for saying something like that, but it was the truth. Hao gave him an unreadable look and then reached out to touch Yoh's face.

"You are preciousssss." He said. "Anyone who thinksss otherwisssse is an idiot." Yoh leaned into the touch, smiling, but Hao pulled away again.

"Thank you Hao." Yoh said. He threw caution to the wind and leaned up to kiss Hao's cheek. Hao gave him a startled look and touched his cheek. "Please don't tell me I'm misreading signals here, because you are the best thing that's happened to me and I don't want to lose you." Yoh pleaded.

"I feared losssing you asss well." Hao admitted. "You are not wrong about my feelingssss."

"Thank the gods for that." Yoh sighed. Hao nodded in agreement. He impulsively wrapped his arms around Hao in an embrace. Hao returned the hug after a moment, the end of his tail wrapping around one of Yoh's ankles.

"Sssstay with me?" Hao asked in a soft voice.

"What do you mean?" Yoh replied.

"Sssstay here, with me, move in." Hao said, nuzzling him. "I missss you when you are gone."

"I won't bother you, while you're trying to sleep?" Yoh asked. Hao shook his head. "I'll have to move all my stuff… okay." He agreed. He heard Hao sigh in relief. "You should go to sleep, you must be tired." Yoh said, stroking Hao's hair.

"You'll be here?" Hao asked softly.

"Yes, yes, I'll be here."


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Yoh started to move his things from his house to Hao's cave. He was somewhat hesitant, still worried that Hao would change his mind and demand that he leave. He was still so convinced that no one would ever want him, because he was damaged goods. He angrily tried to chase those thoughts away though, knowing that they were only his grandfather's lies.

When Hao woke up, looked around at him finding places for his food stores to go in the cave, smiled slightly and went back to sleep, Yoh thought he would melt in relief. Hao really did want him to move in with him. He already knew it, but it was nice to have that confirmation.

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" Yoh asked Artemis as he grabbed jars full of preserved fruits and nuts. Artemis just tilted her head at him. "I am being silly. Comes from years of being treated like I'm a freak." Yoh said. "I'm not a freak though." He said viciously. Artemis chirped at him, concerned. Yoh rubbed her ears comfortingly.

"Not sure what I should do about the bed." He said, looking at said bed. "Seems silly to bring it all the way to Hao's cave. The bear skin would work as a bed, and Hao might just want to snuggle." He giggled at the thought. The normally elegant, aloof Hao was a snuggler; it just seemed funny to him, but he enjoyed it all the same.

He stripped the hides off the bed, thinking that they were too valuable just to leave behind. He trudged back through the snow to Hao's place and put away his things. Hao shifted again, cracking open one eye and then falling back asleep again once he saw that it was just Yoh. Yoh felt bad about disturbing his sleep, but he knew Hao wasn't shy about complaining if he didn't like what Yoh was doing.

Hao stirred again when Yoh was cooking his dinner, but didn't wake up. Apparently his need for sleep overruled his stomach in this case. Still, Yoh felt like he was intruding and should have just stayed in his own house.

"You ssssay things out loud, do you know that?" Hao's voice enquired sleepily. Yoh turned to look at him. Hao was still resting atop his coils, eyes slightly open.

"Sorry, I am disturbing you, aren't I?" Yoh said.

"I will grow accusssstomed to it." Hao replied. "I would not assssked you to sssstay if I wassss not sure of that."

"Right." Yoh said. "I just don't want to be any trouble for you."

"You are the farthessst thing from trouble to me." Hao insisted. "A fact that you sssstill do not sssseem to believe."

"Well, I'm used to people just doing things because they feel sorry for me, or because they were told to." Yoh reminded him. "Not many people actually are willing to put up with me like you do."

Hao uncoiled and slithered over to Yoh, pushing him to make him sit down and wrapping the end of his tail around Yoh's legs. "Lissssten to me." He said sternly, settling so that he was behind Yoh, wrapping arms around his middle. "I do not care if your pressssence inconveniencesssss me, it issss worth it to know you are near."

Yoh relaxed into his grip and smiled slightly. "I must sound so whiny to you."

"No, you ssssound like ssssomeone who issss used to rejection." Hao replied. "I do not blame you for that. I have my own fearssss, after all."

"Yeah?" Yoh said. Hao was silent for a moment.

"I lived with my mother, when I wassss an eggling." Hao said. "Assss most of my kind do when we are ssssmall." He hesitated, reluctant to go on.

"You don't have to say any more." Yoh told him.

"No, I do." Hao insisted. "I wasss very young when the Cats came. My mother hid me in a crack in our cave wall and tried to defend herssssself. The Catsss hurt her and left her to die. I dared not leave the crack to go help her, but ssssshhhhe whisssspered softly to me until sssshhhe finally passssssed away."

"Oh gods, I'm so sorry." Yoh said softly. "No wonder you were so freaked out when I found your cave."

"Yessss." Hao agreed. "The pain of lossssing my mother was so great that I began to think it better not to have anyone to care about, because they could be hurt. I lived my life like that, until you came along."

"Turned everything upside down for you." Yoh murmured.

"Exactly." Hao said. "Sssso, when I ssssay that I want you closssse, I mean it. I want you close not only because you are dear to me, but because if you are clossse then I can keep an eye on you."

"Make certain that I am safe, that nothing will happen to me." Yoh guessed. Hao nuzzled at the back of his neck, grip tightening. "So being able to hear me wandering around in here just means that you know that I'm safe, doesn't it?"

"Precissssely." Hao agreed. "It doessss not bother me at all."

"Okay." Yoh smiled. "Do you want any dinner?"

"No, I am sssstill full." Hao replied, yawning.

"Go back to sleep." Yoh said. "I'm here, I'm alright."

"I know you are." Hao said, nuzzling Yoh once more and then slithering away to coil himself up and go to sleep again.

Yoh spent his evening rearranging his supplies. He went through Hao's supplies, seeing what was going bad, and what he would needed to get more of and what he didn't need any more of. He put like with like, putting together something of a system so that it was easier to find things.

"Come here." Hao said sleepily when he was done and thinking of going to sleep. Yoh went over and Hao pulled him down on top of his coils with him.

"Can I at least get undressed?" Yoh asked wryly.

"I suppossssse." Hao replied. Yoh undressed and settled down on the coils, feeling Hao wrap a coil around his waist. Artemis lay down next to Hao, purring softly.

"Goodnight, Hao." Yoh whispered. Hao just nuzzled against him, already halfway asleep.

%&%&%&%

Hao woke up to the feeling of someone gently shaking his shoulder. "I know it issss not yet time for your heat." He informed his mate grumpily, opening one eye. Yoh just grinned at him.

"The sap is running." He informed him.

"What issss that?" Hao asked.

"Oh, right." Yoh looked sheepish. "You're asleep during the winter, you wouldn't know. Certain trees make this sap and around this time of year is best to collect it. It's really sweet and I think I can make sugar out of it, but also, I can make taffy."

"Taffy?" Hao asked, lifting his head and yawning. Yoh grinned wider and took his hand from behind his back. He had a twig that had been stripped of bark, with a lump of shiny brown something on the end of it. Hao wrinkled his nose at it. "Just try it." Yoh said, rolling his eyes.

Hao took the stick and sniffed at the brown lump dubiously. It smelled sweet and non-offensive so he tentatively licked at it. His eyes widened and he took a bite, finding the hardened sap to be somewhat sticky. He finished the taffy in minutes.

"Isssss there more?" He asked Yoh hopefully.

"I'll have to make some." Yoh laughed. "You shouldn't have too much at once though, the sugar will keep you awake."

"You are going to make sugar out of it?" Hao asked.

"Yup. Good for sweetening food, I could make some sweet desserts now." Yoh said happily. He bounced back outside and came back in a few minutes later with more taffy.

"How do you make thisss?" Hao asked, chewing a little slower on his taffy this time.

"Just boil it." Yoh said. "Takes a little while, but it's worth it. Nice little treat in the middle of winter, isn't it?"

"Yessss." Hao agreed, wrapping the end of his tail around Yoh's leg.

"Looks like the snow's going to start melting soon, and the birds are starting to come back." Yoh commented.

"I have been lessss sleepy of late." Hao mused. "Ssssoon I will not need to ssssleep anymore."

"That'll be nice." Yoh said. "Being able to talk to someone other than Artemis during the day. Sometimes I almost think she's going to talk back to me."

"Sssshhhe issss smarter than mossst of your kind." Hao said. Yoh laughed happily.


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing! More sex ahead.

Yoh was just coming back from foraging when he found Hao hovering at the edge of the cave, looking with trepidation at the melting snow on the ground. "You're awake." Yoh said.

"It is warming out." Hao replied. "My body no longer wantssss to ssssleep. I am ressstlessss."

"But you don't want to go out in the snow." Yoh guessed. He laughed a little as Hao eyed the snow distastefully and nodded his head. "Well, you don't have to go out yet, I am hunting for the both of us, remember?"

"That doessss not help with my restlessnessss." Hao said.

"Couldn't you explore the caves?" Yoh asked, stepping inside their home. Hao slithered after him as he lay down his catch, a nice sized buck. "There's quite the extensive system of them here."

"I think I have a better idea." Hao purred, pressing up against him from behind and wrapping his arms around Yoh's waist. Yoh stiffened slightly, feeling Hao's erections press into his ass. Hao backed away again and Yoh turned to look at him. "Forgive me." Hao said. "I know you may not want…"

"I just didn't think anyone would want…" Yoh said at the same time. They both smiled sheepishly at each other. "I've never…"

"I know." Hao said, sliding forward to take Yoh's hands and kiss him softly. "That issss why I will wait, if that isss what you wissshhh. But, if you want to know how it feelsss when your mind is not clouded with heat…" He smiled wickedly at Yoh. "You have but to assssk me and I will give."

"I do want." Yoh said, feeling his cheeks heat with the admission.

"Are you sssaying that only to pleasssse me?" Hao asked sternly.

"No, I've wanted you for a while, I just… well, you know." Yoh said. Hao cupped his face gently, thumbs stroking his cheeks.

"I know." He said, kissing Yoh again. This time Yoh felt Hao's tongue flick against his lips and he opened his mouth in response. Hao's tongue slid inside his mouth, sliding over and around his tongue. He shivered at the feeling, grabbing at Hao's arms. The two of them separated for air and then Hao leaned in again, nipping at Yoh's neck.

"How I have wanted to do thisssss." He murmured against Yoh's skin. "How I have longed to be able to play and teasssse, to have you writhing beneath me, begging for releassssse, giving you pleassssure beyond your wildesssst dreamssss."

Yoh moaned in response to his words. Hao bit down on his pulse and he shuddered in his grasp. Hao's hands cupped his ass cheeks, pushing Yoh against him, rubbing their groins together. Yoh was half-hard already, squirming against Hao, wanting more than the teasing touches he was getting.

"Please, Hao." He said.

"Pleasssse what?" Hao asked, removing Yoh's shirt for him.

"More…" Yoh didn't really know what he was asking for, but he needed something more than he was getting and he tried to make Hao understand. Hao seemed to get it and steered him backwards, pushing him down onto the bearskin and sliding on top of him, groin pressed into his.

Yoh whimpered, feeling Hao's hot hands on his chest, caressing his skin. One hand gently tweaked his nipple and he moaned, the small jolt of pleasure he experienced going straight to his erection. He gasped when Hao's mouth closed over his other nipple and sucked hard. Yoh bucked his hips up into Hao's, writhing underneath him.

"Sssssso impatient." Hao crooned, lifting his head and kissing Yoh again. "I'm not done playing yet." Yoh whimpered again, trying to move his hips just a little bit more, but Hao had him pinned. Suddenly Hao was sliding down his body, kissing a path down his chest, biting down on his hipbone and taking his pants off.

Hao flicked his tongue out, just barely teasing the head of Yoh's cock. "Please." Yoh begged. Hao chuckled, and Yoh was ready to beg more, but Hao took his erection in his mouth, deep-throating him. Yoh sat up with a cry, hands gripping at Hao's silky hair as he bobbed his head, sucking hard on Yoh's erection.

"Oh gods, oh gods." Yoh moaned. Hao hummed around his cock, making him jerk and plead more. He was so close… Hao pulled away from him and Yoh groaned in frustration, trying to glare at Hao.

"Now, now, you don't want thissss to be over that ssssoon, do you?" Hao teased, slithering back to find the jar of lube. "Lie down." Hao instructed. Yoh obeyed, spreading his legs. Hao gripped his thighs, lifting Yoh's hips off the ground.

"What are you OH!" Yoh shuddered in pleasure. Hao's tongue licked across his entrance and then pushed inside, thrusting in and out of him. "Oh gods, Hao!" Yoh cried. He felt like he was going to burn up. It was almost torturous the pleasure he was receiving, but he wanted more.

Hao let him go again to spread the lube over his fingers and Yoh tried to catch his breath. He tensed a little, feeling Hao's finger slide into him. "How doesss that feel?" Hao asked, watching him with lust-darkened eyes.

"Strange, but… good." Yoh said, hips moving in little jerks as the finger slid in and out of him. He could feel the faint burn as another finger joined the first, stretching him. It was a good burn though and Hao kept his movements slow and gentle. Yoh bit his lip, the burn intensifying with the third finger.

Suddenly he arched up with a cry as Hao touched that little spot inside him that made him see stars. Hao chuckled wickedly and thrust his fingers against that spot, again and again until Yoh was a pleading, shivering mess. Hao removed his fingers just when it felt like it was becoming too much and Yoh didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

Hao pressed against him again and Yoh could feel the blunt head of his erection butting up against his entrance. "Relax." Hao crooned, kissing him hard again. Yoh tensed as Hao slowly slid into him. The lube made it so it didn't hurt so much, but it was uncomfortable, his body trying to accommodate Hao's size.

"Are you alright?" Hao asked, pausing when he was fully sheathed.

"You're big." Yoh gasped out. Hao chuckled, making him blush again.

"I'll make sure you appreciate my ssssize." He hissed. His second erection rubbed against Yoh's and Yoh whined softly. "You are assss vocal as you are when you are in heat." Hao mused, moving his hips in small circles. "Good." He purred when Yoh whimpered and grabbed at him, trying to get him to move just a little bit more.

"Gods-damn it Hao, move!" He demanded. Hao smirked at him and pulled out, slowly, oh so slowly. Yoh writhed, unable to move because of Hao's weight pushing him down. Hao slid back in, just as slowly, the tip of his erection just barely brushing Yoh's prostate. Hao's second erection rubbed against Yoh's with each thrust, teasing him further.

"Hao, Hao, please." Yoh groaned, grasping at Hao's shoulders.

"Sssshhhusssshhhh." Hao crooned and Yoh shivered at the sibilant sound. He removed Yoh's hands from his shoulders and laced their fingers together. Hao kept the pace gentle, whispering soft loving words in Yoh's ear. The pleasure built slowly, giving Yoh time to savour the sensations, catalogue the way Hao's scales felt against his and the soft huffs of pleasure the Naga let out between whispers.

Yoh could feel his climax coming, cresting like a wave reaching shore. When it finally spilled over he gasped, his whole body shaking as the greatest orgasm of his life swept through him. Through the haze of pleasure he heard Hao moan and felt warmth spill inside him as well as on his stomach.

Hao's weight slumped over him and he groaned in complaint. Hao sighed and lifted himself off of him, sliding out of him as well. Yoh watched with interest as Hao's now flaccid cocks retracted back into his body, leaving no trace that they had even been there.

"Seems a lot more efficient than what I have." He commented dazedly.

"It would be unfortunate for them to drag on the ground." Hao replied, sounding tired as well.

"Nap time?" Yoh suggested.

"Soundsss good." Hao agreed. Hao coiled around Yoh's body, the end of his tail wrapping around Yoh's ankle. Yoh shifted onto his side and Hao cuddled up to him, wrapping an arm around Yoh's middle and nuzzling into his neck.

"Hao?" Yoh asked.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."


	14. Chapter 14

Star: I own nothing!

It was a rainy day in spring when Hao started shedding his skin. He'd been grumpy all week, snappish with both Yoh and Artemis. Yoh was hurt, until he learned the real reason for Hao's ire, and Hao always made up for his bad mood.

Yoh looked up to find Hao twisting and rubbing his tail against the floor of their cave. The normally brilliant shades of red and black scales were clouded over, and Yoh could see the dead skin bunching and folding as Hao moved, trying to get it off. Hao hissed in frustration and stopped moving after a little bit.

"Need some help?" Yoh asked.

"How?" Hao snapped.

"Well, I think if I could dig my fingers in I could help peel the skin away." Yoh said, ignoring Hao's tone.

"I've tried that." Hao grumbled.

"Yeah, but I've got tougher nails than you." Yoh said. He'd allowed his fingernails to grow, as opposed to clipping them like he always used to. Normal nails grew to a point on his kind, a throwback to their mixed genetics. Most Felids kept their nails short and blunt, as a way of indicating how civilized they were. Yoh saw no reason to do so, especially since his nails could be used as a last defence against predators. He kept the tips rounded, so he wouldn't accidently cut someone, but with enough force he could tear through skin.

"You could try." Hao said grudgingly.

"Where's it the worst?" Yoh asked. Hao indicated a spot on his tail which was starting to peel a little bit. Yoh dug his nails into the spot, scratching at the skin. Hao let out a sigh and wiggling slightly, which Yoh took as a good sign. He dug his fingers in and managed to hook them under the peeling skin. He tore off a good long strip, finding gleaming black and red scales underneath.

Yoh didn't know how long he worked, but once he was done most of the shedding skin was off of Hao, except for small patches here and there. "Ahhh." Hao sighed in contentment, squirming slightly. "That is ssssso much better."

Yoh kissed him. "Aren't you glad you have me around?" He teased.

"Very." Hao agreed. Artemis chirped and butted her head against Hao's side. "You I could do without, beassst." Hao informed her. She purred in reply. "It seemsss she doesss not believe me."

"Why would she?" Yoh laughed. "When you give her treats all the time. She's going to get fat."

"And then I can eat her." Hao teased.

"Is that why you feed me too?" Yoh asked, straddling Hao's coils and rubbing their noses together. He was positioned over where Hao's lap would have been if he had legs and he could feel Hao's cocks beginning to emerge already. He wiggled in place, earning a hiss from his lover.

"I do enjoy devouring you." Hao purred in reply. Springtime had not only made Hao very energetic, but also very horny. The two of them had sex at least twice a week, something Yoh found he enjoyed immensely. Hao leaned back against the wall, hands gripping Yoh's hips as Yoh reached down to grasp one of Hao's erections.

"Two seems a little excessive, doesn't it?" He murmured, teasing his lover, his mate.

"It seemsss nature thought not, becausssse regular sssnakes also have two." Hao hissed, his body undulating against Yoh. Yoh leaned forward and kissed Hao, his free hand cupping the Naga's face. "I want you to take me." Hao murmured when they parted.

"What?" Yoh blinked at his lover, stopping his motions.

"I want you to take me, assss I take you." Hao said. "It hassss been a while, and I do enjoy it."

"You know I've never…" Yoh trailed off, feeling foolish.

"I know." Hao said, running his hand soothingly up Yoh's back. "I can talk you through it, if you'd like." He added gently.

"My nails." Yoh said, still making excuses. He was afraid that he would hurt Hao, and afraid that he wouldn't be enough for Hao as well. "I blunt them, but they could still tear you."

"You are afraid." Hao said, nuzzling his cheek. "Don't be."

"Easy for you to say." Yoh mumbled. "What if I'm terrible? What if I hurt you or do something stupid?"

"Yoh, I do not expect you to be an expert the first time around." Hao said patiently. "I will talk you through it, tell you what feelsssss good and what doesn't." He coaxed. "I want you to know what it feelsss like for me."

"Okay, I'll try." Yoh agreed. "I was serious about my nails though." He added. Hao only chuckled and reached for the lube.

"You will have to move for a moment then." He said. Yoh got off Hao, sitting beside him and taking off his clothes. Hao slicked up his fingers and reached to a spot just underneath his erections. Yoh watched as he pressed his fingers into himself, scales parting to reveal a pinkish slit into which Hao's fingers sank.

Hao let out a moan of pleasure as he prepared himself and Yoh felt his arousal stirring at the sound, and at the sight of Hao thrusting his fingers in and out of himself. Hao caught his eye and gave him a coy smile, pushing his fingers deeper and stroking one of his cocks with his other hand.

Yoh moved again, straddling Hao again and leaning down to take Hao's other cock into his mouth. Hao groaned and Yoh felt fingers dig into his hair. Yoh sucked, bobbing his head up and down, swirling his tongue around the head of Hao's cock. Hao's hips jerked and Yoh's mouth was filled with semen. He swallowed rapidly and released Hao's cock.

"You didn't have to do that." Hao said.

"I wanted to." It was the truth. He actually wanted to do that for Hao, to taste him like that, knowing that the act wasn't meant to humiliate, but to please. "I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel."

"Sssso ssshhhow me." Hao said, removing his fingers from himself and smearing lube over Yoh's rigid cock. Yoh moaned, grasping at Hao. "Come on," Hao encouraged. "Nice and ssslow." He hissed as Yoh eased himself into Hao, pushing slowly, carefully.

He gasped, Hao was so hot and tight around him that it almost hurt. "Feelsss good, doesssn't it?" Hao purred in his ear. Yoh couldn't do anything but nod his head, preoccupied with struggling to keep still and not thrust. Hao nipped at his ear and his hips bucked a little, making Hao groan.

"Sorry, sorry." He gasped out.

"That wasss a good ssssound." Hao said. "Move now." He instructed, his hands on Yoh's hips, moving them. Yoh followed the motions of Hao's hands, nearly mindless from the pleasure coursing through his body. Hao undulated against him, his erections rubbing against Yoh's belly as he whispered soft words of encouragement in Yoh's ears.

Hao let out a long, keening moan as he stiffened and shuddered, semen spurting onto both their stomachs. Yoh shuddered and moaned as Hao clenched and unclenched around him, his orgasm sweeping over him and leaving him breathless. He pulled carefully out of Hao and collapsed onto his chest, panting loudly.

Hao's fingers carded through his hair, scratching at his scalp soothingly. "Was that good?" Yoh asked dazedly.

"It was very good." Hao assured him. "You are an apt pupil."

"Tell that to my grandfather." Yoh joked.

"Hmph, your grandfather doesss not know a good thing when he hasss it." Hao said dismissively. "Nothing he hasss ever sssaid to you hassss any sssort of truth to it, that I have heard."

"Yeah." Yoh agreed softy. "It's hard not to start to believe it though when you're told every day of your life that you're worthless."

"Well, you are not." Hao said sternly. "No more talk of thisss, it isss unpleasssant."

Yoh lifted his head and kissed Hao, then dropped his head back onto Hao's chest. "I think a nap would be nice right now."

"You always want a nap." Hao pointed out with an indulgent chuckle.

"I'm a cat, cats sleep a lot." Yoh replied, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position. Hao chuckled again, stroking his fingers through Yoh's hair.

"Ssssleep, my Kitten." He said fondly.


End file.
